Commercial aircraft typically employ inflatable evacuation slides that deploy beneath exit doors during evacuation. The evacuation slides may be used in case of emergency by passengers exiting the aircraft. A fuselage-mounted evacuation slide may be stowed in a container (i.e., a packboard) located underneath or below the exit close to the aircraft exterior.
Prior to departure (usually before engine startup), all the aircraft doors are placed into the “armed” mode. If a rapid evacuation is required and the doors are opened while “armed”, the opening of the door initiates evacuation slide inflation. In order to ensure that inflation begins when the aircraft door is opened while armed, a fuselage-mounted evacuation slide actuation cable is connected by a connection box to the aircraft. Conventional connection boxes are generally rectangular and include hinged lids that swing open and closed and are sealed with a gasket.